Tag: Zheng

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The Official WTA & ATP Tour Wrap of [TENNIS] Player Rankings, Results & Insights for Week of 22 July

This is episode 108 of ⁠⁠Beyond Top 10 Tennis⁠⁠ as we come LIVE to you from ⁠⁠AM8 International⁠⁠ with the latest Rankings & Results on the WTA and ATP tours with [NEW] insights shared. From the ⁠⁠Top 10⁠⁠ Rankings to the Results of the past week that have set them in motion, we review all ⁠⁠key⁠⁠ matches and ⁠⁠key⁠⁠ players from last week’s (& those still in-action this week) tournaments on the WTA tour: Palermo Open (Italy) & Hungarian Grand Prix (Hungary) plus this week’s events at the Prague Open (Czech Republic), Iasi Open (Romania) & the Polish Open (Poland); followed by last week on the ATP tour: Hamburg Open (Germany), Hall of Fame Open (Newport), Swiss Open (Switzerland) & the Nordea Open (Sweden) plus this week’s events at the Croatia Open (Croatia), Atlanta Open (Georgia) & the Generali Open (Austria) The Video for episode 108 is available on both Spotify & YouTube whilst remaining available wherever you enjoy listening. ⁠⁠Key⁠⁠ Players this week include Zheng, Shnaider, Fils, Giron, Berrettini & Borges.

Tune in to Beyond Top 10 Tennis and jump to Episode #108 to learn more.

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Top 10 [Tennis] Rankings Corrections and how the 2024 Wimbledon Championships tightened the Top 5 Players on both the WTA and ATP tours

Over the past near 21 days the unfolding of the 2024 Wimbledon Championships has taken place from the lead up to the aftermath and with equally polarising results and yet still those players that are compounded by the data and how the past season has continued to unfold has been cause for a much needed realignment. A cautionary tale here is in respect to being mindful of the past season — 12 months until now, as if we only consider the current season and how the results have unfolded, then there’s a significant gap between the anticipated and what has more recently unfolded.

The beginning of the Championships noted the respective seedings take place on the Women’s and Men’s sides of the draw, as is typical, but what’s interesting here is in fact how the pending reshuffle of the rankings on both the WTA and ATP tours has been widely discussed on Beyond Top 10 Tennis this season with 50% of current Top 10 players not correlating with their ranking. In other words, their results do not align with those of a player ranked inside the Top 10. Most importantly, this is across both the WTA and ATP tours. What’s even more interesting, is that the ATP tour rankings started to correct themselves roughly 2-3 months ago as the clay-court season really triggered some key players to amp up their game and get back in action. The same can’t be said for the WTA tour which has now only corrected itself but there is still a margin of error for those who remain not in alignment with a Top 10 ranking.

To better clarify these rankings, it’s important to showcase how the 2024 Wimbledon Championships unveiled and impacted those inside the Top 10. On the WTA tour, there were only 9 active seeds due to Sabalenka withdrawing after the draw had been announced. Of these 9 seeds, only 3 made the Round of 16 or further — Gauff, Rybakina and Paolini. Importantly, these 3 players have remained inside the 8% across the past 2-3 seasons. Despite. Swiatek falling in the 3rd Round, as the reigning French Open Champion, Swiatek’s results this season have equally been in this category and Sabalenka closely follows, however, not too close. The updated WTA rankings post Wimbledon does in fact afford a better depiction of the Top 5 and resonated with the data. Noteworthy, players ranked inside the Top 10 but outside the Top 5 do not all align with these metrics. Whilst Krejcikova is the newly crowned Wimbledon Champion, she is deserving of her place inside the Top 10. However, if her results do not follow across the hard-court season she is more suceptible to regress. Either way, Krejcikova is a part of the 2% vulnerable to regressing outside the Top 10.

The other player inside the Top 10 and suceptible of regressing would be Sakkari given her results this season do in fact align with a Top 10 ranking — albeit not at the Grand Slam level, but she has a level of consistency ahead of other players inside this range. Collins is now more firmly inside the Top 10 and she was prior to Roland Garros before slightly being pushed out, but Collins’ performance does in fact correlate with a Top 10 ranking this season. Not quite Top 5, but Top 10 does resonate with her level of play. That leaves Pegula and Zheng.

Unfortunately, whilst Pegula has had some time off this season, her results simply do not correlate with a Top 10 ranking and haven’t all season with the exception to her maiden grass-court title prior to Wimbledon. Sure, Zheng was a Finalist at the 2024 Australian Open but her results have continued to underperform since this peak performance. Two players who have in fact been tracking this season are Ostapenko and Kasatkina. Both of these players have been performing better than those who are not correlating with their current ranking. That said, Ostapenko has been inside the Top 10 this season and does deserve to become a barrier breaker again. That leaves 1 place up for grabs for players who do in fact correlate with that Top 10 ranking and can be placed inside the 8% in contrast to the aforementioned 2%. And who would that be? That’s the elusive question to unfold for the rest of the season, but there are two primary players who are tracking with similar if not greater consistency than Kasatkina — Keys, a former barrier breaker for a number of seasons, and Navarro, a standout player so far this season along with a handful of players who continue to find that new baseline. Not quite as consistent as Paolini, but has surpassed the likes of Kostyuk and Kalinskaya. Whilst Samsonova is closing in on the Top 10, both Keys and Navarro have the greater potential and as far as the data is concerned and clear indicators of a player’s capacity to correlate with a Top 10 ranking — these are clear signs.

As such, the WTA tour still has a slight correction to unfold and the current Top 10 rankings post Wimbledon, whilst improved, does not fully align with current player performances, baselines and/or key metrics.

When it comes to the ATP tour the correction started to take place at the beginning of the 2024 season when the likes of Tsitsipas, Fritz and Rune were pushed out of the Top 10 and De Minaur, Dimitrov and Ruud became barrier breakers. Whilst Dimitrov and Ruud have both been inside this key ranking range previously, it was De Minaur who remains the sole newcomer this season. Interestingly, both Tsitsipas and Fritz have briefly progressed back inside the Top 10 this season but neither have been able to maintain their place and as such were clearly denoted inside the 2%. Those inside this key marker now are Dimitrov and Ruud despite their more successful clay-court season and Dimitrov continuing to maintain his peak baseline. The only player at this stage inside the Top 10 who does not correlate with this key range is Rublev and due to his on-court behaviour of late, he undoubtedly deserves a suspension in some way, shape or form to ensure physical self-harm is not accepted nor tolerated.

Noteworthy, when considering recent player performances it is in fact Fritz who has been finding his feet once again. It is equally important to note that Fritz has a peak baseline that fluctuates and is cyclical whereby he peaks and then there’s a drop off in his level of play before he peaks again. Fortunately for Fritz, this new cycle started just prior to Wimbledon before falling short to Musetti. Either way, the results speak for themselves and a true ranking correction on the ATP tour will include Fritz with Paul the second ‘new’ barrier breaker potentially this season. As far as the Top 5 are concerned, alike the WTA tour these are true depictions of current levels of play. The same can be said for the 8% if Fritz replaced Rublev. Interestingly, if Fritz is factored into the equation and due to his cyclical baseline, he would then be placed inside the 2% and Ruud would be pushed then into the 8%.


What’s even more interesting and why the correction of the ATP rankings remains true — prior to Wimbledon, in contrast to the WTA rankings, is that where the WTA had 3 of their Top 9 inside the Round of 16 — make that 4 if factoring the Top 10 seeds (i.e. Collins seeded 11 with Sabalenka’s 3rd Seed void), 7 players progressed to the Round of 16 and of those 7 players, they all lost to a Top 10 player if Fritz is granted that Top 10 ranking. Of these players, 5 progressed to the  in contrast to the WTA tour and only 2 of these players Rybakina and Paolini, progressed beyond the Round of 16 to the semi-finals and finals respectively.

What’s perhaps even more interesting is that Sinner continues his No.1 reign despite succumbing in the quarterfinals. Alcaraz secured back-to-back Grand Slams and still remains as No. 3. What’s even more wild is that Djokovic who is yet to win a title all season, continues his hold on the No. 2 ranking, however, both Alcaraz and Djokovic defended thier points from the 2023 Championships. Rublev, Hurkacz and Ruud did not pass the 2nd Round at best and still they remain inside the Top 10. That’s even more questionable. Pegula and Zheng were the only players on the WTA tour to fall in these earlier rounds and why they’ve also been flagged as not correlating with a Top 10 ranking. And whilst Rublev has equally been noted as not correlating with a Top 10 ranking, both Hurkacz and Ruud have had reasonable form this season but that 2% on the ATP tour is in fact ‘wider’ than on the WTA tour. In other words, more players on the ATP tour are more suceptible to being displaced in contrast to the WTA tour. The irony here is that is was the opposite merely a few weeks ago before the correction stared to take place, and now there are more vulnerable players on the ATP tour as the WTA tour is now tightening its ranks.

But to be clear, this is only applicable if the aforementioned Top 10 comes to fruition to align with a players current level of play which also accounts for a handful of players on both the WTA and ATP tours being displaced — regressing outside the Top 10 and to be replaced by one or more of those that have been named.

For a greater breakdown of player results across the 2024 Wimbledon Championships you’ll need to hold off until next week. Whilst I was hoping to ‘cram’ that all into one post, it turns out there were a lot more intricate details to divulge and discuss around Top 10 rankings, how these rankings have interchanges so far this season and the role of corrections pre-French Open and post-Wimbledon have started to shed new light on those players who truly have been holding onto that 8% as well as those who reside inside the 2% and remain susceptible to levelling out. Of course, the 8% is directly correlated with the 8 Keys and the prerequisite to a Top 10 ranking remains in the 7 Keys. The same can be said for those who have their eyes on becoming a barrier breaker — for the first time or to cross the threshold once again.

To learn more about our data, predictive analytics and how to optimise your own performance, head on over to AM8 International. To learn more about AM8 International check out our selection of Books and/or options to join Dr B’s Pack to gain exclusive access to the best in the world. Not quite ready? Head on over to Beyond Top 10 Tennis for free access to 80+ episodes directly from Dr Berge of what it really takes to win multiple Grand Slams to securing that Top 10 tennis ranking with new episodes each week. More? Catch up on our Tips over on TikTok, Twitter, Threads or Instagram for quick snippets to apply in your game, today. 

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Day 13 Australian Open: Zheng, Yastremska, Zverev, Alcaraz, Medvedev and Hurkacz plus who’s in line for more Grand Slam Success?

It’s the Day 13 of the Australian Open and it has been a whirlwind week with a bucket load of surprises in one way, shape or form. Most recently across Day 12 the match between Gauff and Sabalenka took centre stage. Herein we’ll share the other matches that were equally as exciting with their own respective key takeaways to be addressed. One of those matches was Zheng v Yastremska and it really needs to be noted how close this match up was, but at the same time, perhaps the best tennis Zheng has played all tournament. Unfortunately for Yastremska it was Zheng who lifted her game on the points that really mattered despite the progressions that Yastremska has made this Australian Open and without a doubt has ascended back to her prior ranking high and is flagged to progressively ascend inside the Top 20 if she is able to uphold this level of play throughout the 2024 season.

On the other hand, it is Zheng who has not only made her maiden Grand Slam final but has become a barrier breaker by landing a Top 10 tennis ranking. It goes without saying that if Zheng is able to maintain her level of play exhibited in the semi-finals and to continue with this level of maintenance, she is primed to make an additional semi-final appearance this season and potentially another Grand Slam final awaits and in due course her very own Grand Slam title.

It is incredibly important to note that it is not automatic that Zheng will claim a Grand Slam title this season due to her relatively streamlined run this Australian Open in contrast to coming up against seeded players and/or former Grand Slam Champions throughout the draw in contrast to other players who were dealt a significantly harder draw than others this Australian Open.

There are two other matches that were played out on Day 12 but did not have the chance to be discussed due to the repeat of the more recent US Open final between Gauff and Sabalenka that garnered the spotlight for good reason. These two distinct quarter-final lineups between Zverev and Alcaraz, and Medvedev v Hurkacz did not disappoint and delivered their blockbuster status on multiple fronts. Both of these matches comprised of stellar performances and whilst many would have been surprised with the result of Zverev trudging away with the Win against Alcaraz despite the third set being incredibly close, Zverev’s metrics did not disappoint and they had flagged him with the potential to deliver this result irrespective of Alcaraz’s current form. This may appear rather conflicting in particular when Alcaraz is the player at the other end, however, Zverev is not only a current Top 10 player, his rate of success and his patterns of play have afforded him a place inside this ranking range over a much lengthier period in comparison to Alcaraz. This is not only due to Zverev being privy to the 7 Keys alike Alcaraz, by his integration of the 8th Key is absolutely paramount. In contrast, it really needs to be highlighted that this Australian Open Alcaraz was not able to keep all 8 Keys in check which can also be attributed to his primary Coach not being able to make the trip with Alcaraz this Australian Summer. And that is an incredibly significant indicator when reviewing key patterns of play to progressions of players at the elite echelon of play.

This now brings us to the incredible trade-off between Medvedev and Hurkacz as they went one set a piece before two, until the fifth set was an incredible decider. It has to be said that this match was breathtaking in various ways from not merely the standard of play, but also the quality delivered by both players. Insofar as Hurkacz performed, this has to be one of his highest quality matches in recent seasons and really solidified his place inside the Top 10. As a player who has regressed outside this ranking range and ascended back into the Top 10, the level of play Hurkacz was able to deliver and maintain throughout this match really signals an important change in the player’s game. And that is the readiness to preparedness by Hurkacz to progress to the semi-final stage or greater at least once this season at the Grand Slam level if he is able to maintain his current level of play.

Perhaps just as exciting, if Hurkacz can hold onto this level of play and establish a new baseline he will become even more problematic for other Top 10 players and position himself for his very own Grand Slam title in the next season if this calibre can more frequently deliver in three, in contrast to five, and to do so more consistently. 

On the other hand, Medvedev was absolutely solid and despite going down in two of the five sets, he was the player who was more steadfast and able to maintain his baseline, even if the separation between the two was evident in the micro-discrepancies as discussed in the “What is Your Game Missing Series” and “The 7 Keys to Optimise Your Life”. These micro-discrepancies remain as the differential between these players at the absolute elite level of play. And this is where The Power of the 8th Key really comes into its own. When considering the baseline and quality of play delivered by Medvedev, there is no surprise in the player progressing to the semi-final stage as not only a Grand Slam Champion in his own right, but also a finalist at the Grand Slam level on multiple occasions. Without a doubt, Medvedev is one of only a handful of current players who has the capacity and active baseline that aligns with their level of maintenance and distinctive patterns of play that place him in a unique position of progressing to the semi-final stage and ultimately be one of the final two competing for the Championship title throughout a given season. That said, if Medvedev’s current baseline begins to fluctuate, so will his capacity to reach this stage of a Grand Slam and the likelihood of him claiming another Grand Slam title will not be as streamlined, and/or as increasingly likely, as is his current level of play throughout the most reason three seasons has carried over once again into the 2024 season.

On that merit alone it cannot be understated how accomplished Medvedev is along with his level of play that he would undoubtedly have a number of additional Grand Slams to his name if it were not for the arrival of Alcaraz and the continued dominance of Djokovic and most recently Sinner the past season. All in all, there is a reason why Medvedev has maintained his place not simply inside the Top 10 for a number of seasons, but his place primarily inside the Top 3 with his active baseline primed for more with slight technical variance that will allow Medvedev to more rapidly Win against his primary rivals — Djokovic, Alcaraz and Sinner. 

To learn more about AM8 International check out our selections of Books to options to join Dr B’s Pack to gain exclusive access to the best in the world. Not quite ready? Head on over to Beyond Top 10 Tennis for free to access 60+ episodes directly from Dr Berge of what it really takes to win multiple Grand Slams to securing that Top 10 tennis ranking. More? Catch up on our Tips over on TikTok, Twitter, Threads or Instagram for quick snippets to apply in your game, today.

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Australian Open Day 11: Snapshot of Kalinskaya and Kostyuk in the Spotlight, Yastrzemska v Zheng and How Zverev defeated Alcaraz

It’s Day 11 of the Australian Open and so far we’ve been focusing on the more technical proponents of a player’s game and how these have either afforded them the prospects of making it “this far” at the Australian Open, or why they haven’t quite been able to amp up their game and deliver on the Grand Slam stage. Given this stage of the Australian Open and with the Quarterfinals underway, there are two primary matches that deserve wider focus for different albeit similar reasons. The first off the bat is Zheng v Kalinskaya and the focus here is going to be on the player who wasn’t the one to progress to the semifinals — Kalinskaya who was quite the surprise packet in respect to rankings this Australian Open, along with a number of other players, but let’s place the spotlight on this “newcomer”.

As previously shared, a player is placed on the “radar” with a Round of 16 result or greater at the Grand Slam level. Sometimes there are exceptions, but this is typically the case. That, and a player ascending inside the Top 10 tennis rankings. Typically, these two go hand in hand and I’m a firm believer (and so is the data) that a player inside the Top 10 tennis rankings “should” progress to the Round of 16 or greater at a Grand Slam.

After all, there are four Grand Slams per year and the Round of 16 represents the “best 16 players” at a given tournament that are prepared to deliver. And by deliver this is in respect to the 8 Keys to the initial 7 Keys and the markers in the “What is Your Game Missing Series” to the new release “How to Develop a Top 10 Tennis Ranking“.

Of course there are exceptions. These are in respect to a Top 10 player “falling” to an in-form player who has come out of the brickworks — like Kalinskaya. That said, it is expected that this does not happen EVERY Grand Slam. It is reasonable then for a Top 10 player to progress to the Round of 16 at least three times per season at the Grand Slam level with a 25% rate for the anomaly. This marker is quite high but so are those of Top 10 players with the markers to Win Grand Slams and much more. One off anomalies are exceptions, but they do not achieve the Golden Rule to replicated success. Whether coming up against eventual US Open Champion Radacanu, first time quarterfinalist Kalinskaya or a qualifier — Yastremska, you get the gist — a Top 10 player with the 8 Keys does not fall consistently, rather they battle through more often than not. But there’s a little more to it than meets the eye.

And this is why Kalinskaya is getting the spotlight. Not only is her game — after a careful analytical dive, meeting a number of the markers of the 7 Keys, but her ability to toe the line with the best in the world really needs to be highlighted. Zheng is the No. 12 seed and the first barrier breaker on the WTA for the 2024 season. Recall, there’s only 2% of players each season who cross this threshold with the exception for the anomalies. This is not an anomaly given Zheng’s more recent results at the 2023 US Open. But how Zheng progressed — against Wang and Kalinskaya was incredibly fortunate given both of these players were not ranked even remotely close to this ranking range, and yet they both pushed Zheng to the absolute max.

Kostyuk is another player who deserves the spotlight and has very similar metrics to Kalinskaya — both progressing to their very first quarterfinal at a Grand Slam which was unexpected. But there’s one thing both these players have in common and that is their respective metrics. Kostyuk is primed to ascend towards the Top 20 with her calibre of play. Kalinskaya, if she’s able to maintain this level of play she’ll soon be heading towards the Top 20 as well.

And then there are the current Top 10 players who are primed for Grand Slam success — but half of who are not. A little controversial, sure, but the same applies for the ATP tour and why Zverev defeating Alcaraz was not as shocking as it seems. If you’ve been familiar with Zverev you know he came close to claiming his maiden Championship some years ago. Before then, he was inside the Top 10 quite comfortably and did so with the likes of Djokovic, Nadal and Federer. And he was able to hold his own inside the 8% for a number of seasons. A player who has that kind of capacity has the 8 Keys. Does Alcaraz have the 8 Keys? You bet. But the differential here is in pressure and who was able to come out of the gates firing — first. And that was Zverev.

That’s all it takes against a player inside the Top 10 — against another Top 10 player plus the 8th Key being solidified in their game. The level of maintenance counts.

Whilst there is so much more to say and share here for Day 11 I’m going to leave the rest for our upcoming episode. Why? Because it’s equal parts exciting and entrenched with data that explains these endpoints — and is also shared in “How to Develop a Top 10 Tennis Ranking” and its predecessor “The 7 Keys to Optimise Your Life: Using Tennis to Develop Behaviours that Deliver Optimal Performances in Play and in Life”.

To learn more about AM8 International check out our selections of Books to options to join Dr B’s Pack to gain exclusive access to the best in the world. Not quite ready? Head on over to Beyond Top 10 Tennis for free to access 60+ episodes directly from Dr Berge of what it really takes to win multiple Grand Slams to securing that Top 10 tennis ranking. More? Catch up on our Tips over on TikTok, Twitter, Threads or Instagram for quick snippets to apply in your game, today.

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Australian Open Day 7: Insights on Zheng v Wang

It’s Day 7 of the Australian Open and this Chinese blockbuster has not disappointed. Whilst insights of key matches delivered this opening week of the Australian Open have been shared primarily in the initial few games of the opening set to avoid a results-based bias, exceptions have been made in the later parts of these analyses to highlight why a player may or may not have walked away with the win. Irrespective of this format, if you’ve been following these snapshots it’s time for a little sidestep. And this match between Zheng and Wang presents the perfect opportunity as we’re now early in the 3rd set as these two players are on the hunt for a maiden Round of 16 result.

Right now it is 2-2 and it is time to get a little more technical as to why one player who is on the cusp of becoming a barrier breaker — Zheng, is being pushed all the way by the other who resides just inside the Top 100 — Wang. Despite this significant ranking difference, it is not necessarily an anomaly this Australian Open as we have seen these results throughout the course of the entire opening week with a number of seeded players dropping at the hands of those who are simply playing too good whilst these ‘seeds’ have fallen simply due to not living up to key expectations. And by key expectations, that is reference to the significant analyses — not simply so far this opening week, but in conjunction with the extensive body of work that uncovered these historical findings. 

By this point, I am hopeful you have heard of, and become familiar with, the latest release of this significant scope of work and its enormous data — a first of its kind on players and coaches on the WTA and ATP tours that unveiled (and continues to pave the way in) not simply what it takes to Win a Grand Slam — ping the Australian Open, but what it really takes to maintain a Top 10 tennis ranking towards achieving replicated success – multiple Grand Slam titles.

When pinpointing these players on a more technical basis, both showcase significant potential of the 7 Keys progressively integrated in their game. It is no surprise, however, that Zheng is slightly more consistent in her rate of application, but it is more surprising that Wang is exhibiting some explicit key metrics that coincide with a Top 50 ranking with the capacity to progressively ascend closer towards a Top 20 ranking.

When considering these metrics, it highlights the relative difference in respect to rate of progress to patterns of play and that these are not as drastic as their respective rankings suggest. And this is where our predictive analytics — revealed in “The 7 Keys to Optimise Your Life”, become so incredibly powerful, especially when a player has the core objective of developing a Top 10 tennis ranking.

In contrast, oftentimes you will see a more drastic difference between the rate of application and evidence of the 7 Keys or the progressive uptake of these keys towards exhibiting all keys throughout their game. Whilst Wang does not have the consistent application of these keys, she does exhibit a rather increasing and impressive presence of a number of the 8 Keys that flag her to progress closer towards the Top 20 if she is able to maintain this level of play throughout the season and tighten her hold on these key metrics. Even more excitingly, Wang has the capacity to progress inside the Top 20 if she is able to use this 3rd Round result as a catalyst for the next two seasons to come. Of course, these results may come sooner if the rate of application is fast-tracked and the 7 Keys become more firmly solidified in her game.

That said, by now you have become familiar with the 8th Key and how it is incredibly instrumental in not simply allowing a player to progress towards the Top 10 tennis rankings, but underscores the capacity of a player to achieve Grand Slam success.

On the other hand, Zheng is on the cusp of becoming a barrier breaker which will mark her as the first Chinese player to do so since Li Na’s success on the world stage. This marks an incredibly exciting time for Chinese tennis due to the gap in heightened success between one barrier breaker to the next. Whilst some other nations have a more frequent rate of success to others, the rate of play to level of competition of this current generation has set a new standard in contrast to a decade prior and this is explained more widely in “How to Develop a Top 10 Tennis Ranking” that is now available worldwide. What is even more impressive is The Pathway that Zheng has followed to be within reach of the Top 10 tennis rankings as all signs point towards Zheng quite possibly having become privy to all 8 Keys that will afford her the opportunity of joining the 8%.

What is perhaps most interesting between these two players is how close the metrics have been over the course of this 3rd Round encounter. Of course, when considering their metrics and the aforementioned explanation this isn’t surprising. But what is more important to highlight here is that this match marks a promising stepping stone for Wang and what’s to come. Remember, Li Na did not reach and/or achieve the height of her success until her early 30s and this is often forgotten with a number of younger players having earlier breakthroughs reminiscent of two generations prior. That is, just one generation ago we witnessed a number of players achieving success throughout their twenties to thirties with a smaller number of players in their teenage years having significant breakthroughs. Fast forward that 5 to 10 year period and whilst Gauff was considered incredibly young at her initial Wimbledon arrival, there have been players since then in their teenage years who have gone on to win Grand Slam Championships including Swiatek to Alcaraz most notably with multiple to their name, with Andreescu and Raducanu having breakout results as teenagers in claiming a Grand Slam title before Gauff claimed her maiden Grand Slam more recently.

And that’s fundamental to remember. Too soon and a player risks regressing. There’s the right mix to avoid burnout which is shared in our body of work to ensure injuries don’t derail a players full potential.

Whilst Zheng is no longer a teenager but still only 21 years of age, Wang has been on tour a little longer at 29 years of age. This shows us that Zheng is very early on in her second decade of play, whilst Wang is in the later end of her second decade of play with a level of maintenance that has been instilled into her game to draw upon and further optimise should she become familiar with the 7 Keys and ultimately the 8th Key to edge her closer towards a Top 20 ranking — coinciding with the level of play Wang has exhibited throughout this match. Equally, Zheng has delivered a performance in alignment with her ranking range but with an opponent of Wang’s calibre, whereby her current ranking is to all but be ignored, reflects the scoreline with a tiebreaker needed to decide who moves on to the Round of 16 and ultimately really ONE point deciding the match. This one was definitely edging towards Wang despite that brutal finish.

Why? From The Long Game to our Secrets Previewed, these are pivotal moments on how the next generation of Top 10 players are made and you can now learn how by gaining the edge with “How to Develop a Top 10 Tennis Ranking” and push those markers further to ascend towards the Top 500, Top 100 before the Top 50 and ultimately Top 10.

To learn more about AM8 International check out our selections of Books to options to join Dr B’s Pack to gain exclusive access to the best in the world. Not quite ready? Head on over to Beyond Top 10 Tennis for free to access 60+ episodes directly from Dr Berge of what it really takes to win multiple Grand Slams to securing that Top 10 tennis ranking. More? Catch up on our Tips over on TikTok, Twitter, Threads or Instagram for quick snippets to apply in your game, today.